Page 119 of One More Betrayal

It takes several breaths before things begin to level out again. And the trembling of my body isn’t as bad as it was when Chief Wilson was here. I’m safe.

I’m here.

Troy’s here.

“You okay now?” Troy asks, still crouching.

I nod.

He straightens and gets to his feet. “Any idea why Wilson was questioning you?”

I shake my head. “Maybe he was bored.” My attention is focused on my hands.

“And you think quitting therapy right now is the right thing to do? I mean, look at what happened with Wilson asking you questions.” So many emotions grate in his voice. Anger. Frustration. Confusion.

But it’s the guilt, which I don’t even think he realizes is there, that raises my hackles. “How do you know I quit therapy?”

Troy flinches, and I know right then that I’ve been played for a fool. “Why would Robyn tell you I quit therapy? Isn’t that confidential information?”

He unfolds his arms, and his gaze darts to his office behind me. The man who has fought the enemy in Afghanistan can’t even look me in the eye. “That’s because the state wasn’t paying for your therapy. I was.”

I stare at him for several long seconds. God, please tell me I misunderstood him. “What do you mean you were paying for it?” The words sound like they’re trudging through quicksand.

“I knew you wouldn’t get help because you couldn’t afford it, so I told Robyn I’d pay for the sessions. I asked her not to tell you.”

“Because…?” Steam rises inside me, pressure building to a dangerous level.

“Because I figured once you discovered the truth, you would quit going.”

“Even after I got the restitution payment?” The volume of my voice skyrockets. “You could have told me the truth then, but you didn’t.” He’d just continued with the lie that the state was paying for my therapy.

Troy doesn’t reply, possibly because there’s no clawing his way out of the deep pit he has created.

I let out a hard breath, but it’s not enough to release my annoyance after this new revelation. I know I’m keeping a secret from him, but it doesn’t affect him directly. What he did isn’t just a secret—it’s manipulation. “So instead, you decided to be manipulative like my husband, just so you got your own way. This job, the therapy, Bailey. Everything is about what you want. I know I’m broken, Troy, but it’s not your place to decide how to fix me.”

“I’m not trying to fix you,” he says, his voice a low growl.

I push to my feet, my legs as shaky as they were when Chief Wilson interrogated me. “Really? You’ve done nothing since the beginning but try to prove I’m broken and attempt to fix me. News flash, Troy. I don’t need you to prove I’m broken. I already know that. No one survives the ten years of hell I went through and comes out in one piece.” Hot tears prick my eyes at the truth behind my words. I’ve been a crumpled mess most of my life, although I didn’t realize the severity of it until my husband showed me.

Troy’s expression is that of a man who is lost and knows no matter which direction he steps, the cliff will crumble under his weight. “I didn’t want you to end up where my best friend did.”

“I know. But I’m not Colton. And saving me won’t bring him back. I can’t even trust you. This is why you should never have anything that’s dependent on a man. Your job. Your friends. Your car. Your house. Because once he decides to take it away, you lose everything.”

He holds up his hand as if that will stifle the flow of my words. “You’re overreacting, Jess.”

I narrow my eyes at him in warning, but he continues to douse gasoline over the fire his words ignited. “What I did for you, I would have done for any of my friends.”

“Would you have slept with them too?” For all I know, he has slept with at least one of them. Maple Ridge is a small town. There aren’t a lot of options.

“I slept with you because I want you,” Troy says. “Plain and simple. I’ve never been interested in Simone, Zara, or Emily in that way. They’ve always been like sisters to me. And I’ve never been interested in Avery either.”

“What about other women? You’ve been helping Olivia—”

“I’m not sleeping with her, and I never have.” His tone is stiff, and accusation burns in his eyes.

“Never claimed you had.” Although if he asked, I know she would jump at the chance. That much is obvious. “Fix Olivia. Don’t try to fix me.” From what I’ve heard, her husband was amazing until he was dragged down by PTSD.

She doesn’t have the trust issues I do.

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